Mushoku Tensei – JOBLESS REINCARNATION. Volume. 17.
Adulthood – Asura kingdom arc (Part 2).
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‘Chapter 11: The Madness of Luke.’
SHORTLY BEFORE Rudeus’ return to the hall…
Things had finally calmed down somewhat.
Most of those remaining in the party hall were the high nobles of Asura considered particularly powerful and influential. They were members of venerable houses that had served the kingdom for many generations—Greyrat, Bluewolf, Purplehorse, Whitespider, Silvertoad, and the like. Their need to see the conclusion to today’s events had kept them here, even as the others had fled following Orsted’s sudden disappearance.
Of course, the party hadn’t resumed. But no one had forgotten what had taken place before its violent end. Darius had been humbled, and Perugius had walked into this hall. These two events had left a strong impression on the nobles that Ariel would be queen.
Many of them had been perturbed and confused by Orsted’s sudden appearance, naturally. But given that Ariel had remained calm, they felt obliged to do the same.
Underneath their composed exteriors, however, the nobles were terrified. When that horrifying man burst into this room, he had effectively saved Ariel’s life. He’d murdered Reida and left as suddenly as he came, without even bothering to state his name. To the nobles, the simplest explanation was that this man was one of Perugius’ servants. Their hair and eyes were very similar, their faces bore a certain resemblance, and Perugius’ powerful aura of authority all pointed them to this conclusion.
Perugius had a man at his command who could kill a Water God in a single blow.
And who had Perugius thrown his support behind? They’d learned that only minutes earlier.
Anyone who opposed Ariel might find themselves the next target of that monster. This thought, as much as anything else, led them to submit themselves to her. They didn’t ask any unnecessary questions about the man’s identity. They’d accepted their new master’s reality as their own.
Ariel had returned to Asura as a ruthless killer. Darius might have escaped this room, but he was surely dead by now. The princess had every intention of murdering anyone who stood in her way.
Nearly everyone in the room, including even First Prince Grabel, now believed this. It was a testament to the power of Orsted’s curse.
But there was one exception.
There was one man in the room who knew Ariel better than anyone in the world. One man who’d heard about Orsted from the Man-God. One man who still viewed Rudeus with suspicion, although Ariel’s arguments had silenced him.
His name was Luke Notos Greyrat.
And in this moment, Luke was asking himself a question: should he truly just obey the will of that horrific, evil man, and his servant Rudeus?
Luke’s heart sang with uncertainty and alarm. He couldn’t shake the feeling that it was wrong to join forces with Orsted, regardless of the outcome. Even Darius seemed less cruel, less loathsome.
The Man-God had visited Luke in his dreams, glowing with holy radiance. With kind, gentle, and thoughtful words, he had offered Luke guidance for the road ahead—explaining how to help Ariel take the throne, and warning that Rudeus had been seduced by the words of a vicious enemy.
But Ariel insisted that this god was evil. She insisted that he was deceiving Luke, and trying to destroy them all.
And sure, many of the Man-God’s claims had ultimately turned out to be lies. No…not quite lies, exactly. His words had been vague and ambiguous in a way that led Luke to draw the wrong conclusions. Perhaps he shared the blame for jumping to conclusions.
In any case, Luke was Princess Ariel’s loyal knight. He was inclined to take her word over that of an unfamiliar so-called god with unclear motives. Even if he couldn’t manage to believe the same things she did, he was prepared to respect her judgment, and follow her to the bitter end.
But now, at this last stage of the game, his feelings on the matter had shifted sharply. Seeing Orsted with his own two eyes had changed everything.
Luke considered himself a skilled evaluator of women. Conversely, he wasn’t much good at sizing up the qualities of a man. This was a weakness he was conscious of.
Even so, he knew beyond a shadow of a doubt that Orsted was evil.
There wasn’t the slightest chance that man would work with anyone to accomplish something meaningful. He was a villain to the core, a dark god who led men to their ruin. Ariel was simply wrong about him. Most likely, Rudeus had been enthralled by him as well.
But even if that was the case… what was Luke to do? What action should he take, now that he was sure the princess was following a path he viewed as wrong?
He could express his opinion, yes. But what would that accomplish? Orsted had already taken action. He had already played his part. Darius and Grabel were all but dead, and Ariel had essentially secured the throne. At this point, perhaps it was simply too late.
Luke was no master with magic or the sword. What could he accomplish now, all on his own? The answer was nothing. He felt it in his bones.
I’m truly powerless…
But just as he as beginning to give up entirely, there was movement in the corner of his eye. One of the nobles was approaching Ariel at a trot.
Dropping to his knees before the princess, he bowed so low that his forehead touched the ground.
“Princess Ariel!”
It was Pilemon Notos Greyrat, Luke’s own father.
With a simpering smile plastered on his face, he addressed her in a voice loud enough that everyone in the hall could hear.
“Congratulations, Your Highness. To think this day has finally come, after all my years of waiting!”
His voice rang with happiness, and he raised his head to look up at the princess.
“I had feigned loyalty to Grabel’s cause so that I could undermine them when the time was right, but it seems such scheming on my part was never even necessary. You’ve grown into a most formidable figure in your years abroad, it would seem!”
A number of nobles grimaced in distaste at the man’s blatant opportunism. They knew that Pilemon had personally sent assassins after Ariel following her return. They watched him with cold scorn in their eyes, marveling at how smoothly the lies slid from his lips.
“Lord Pilemon…”
“It’s quite all right, Your Highness, I know what you’re thinking. With few allies, I was obliged to behave in manner that some might harshly criticize. But I assure you, everything I did was for your sake! Now that the danger is past, everything can be exactly as it was before. I’ll provide you with my staunch—”
Ariel didn’t allow him to continue any further.
“Pilemon Notos Greyrat!” she shouted, her voice loud enough to overwhelm his own. “You had your family to consider! You had your safety to consider! Your betrayal was understandable, perhaps, given the weakness of my position!”
Pilemon stared up at Ariel with his eyes wide. This was the first time she had ever shouted at him this way.
“But once you have betrayed your ally, have the dignity to stay their foe until the end! In your hour of defeat, you slink back to your former master? Have you no shame?!”
“Ah… uh…”
His eyes rolling frantically, Pilemon took a moment to squeak out a reply.
“My… my deepest… apologies…”
Some among the nobles couldn’t quite stifle their laughter at this pathetic display. A crimson blush spread across his face as Pilemon hung his head in disgrace.
But Ariel wasn’t finished venting her anger just yet.
“A part of me viewed your changing sides as justifiable, since you sought to ensure the survival of your house. As long as you yielded your role to Luke and retired quietly to your lands, I had no intention of punishing you further! But now you fawn at the feet of the woman you betrayed?! You are contemptible beyond words, sir! It’s clear that your continued existence will be nothing but a burden on this kingdom!”
At those words, Pilemon’s face went white.
“Let death be your apology!”
It was at this moment that Luke realized something: Ah. It’s all another farce, isn’t it? Ariel had probably expected this to happen all along. Perhaps there was a chance her words were true, and she hadn’t intended to execute Pilemon. Her promise with Ghislaine was hardly binding. She could have talked the woman into sparing his life, and perhaps she’d meant to do so.
For many years, Pilemon had been Ariel’s greatest ally. Right now, he was cringing at her feet and begging for her mercy, but until their flight to Ranoa, this man had been the singular leading figure of her faction. His maneuvering had been less than skilled at times, but he had still helped Ariel in countless ways. It was Pilemon who’d arranged for her escape to the Northern Territories. And it was Pilemon who’d sent her north with numerous attendants, who helped her survive that perilous journey.
In a sense, she owed this man her life. Ariel hadn’t forgotten that. But if she were to simply forgive him after his open betrayal, the world would see it as a sign of weakness. And that would compromise her ability to govern Asura.
She might have tolerated allowing him to sneak away in disgrace, but now that things had come this far, her only option was to take his head.
“Luke! Lend me your sword! I’ll give him the honor of doing this myself!”
Pilemon turned toward his son with a look of sheer terror on his face. His eyes were pleading silently for Luke to say something on his behalf.
And as he met his father’s gaze, Luke hesitated.
Luke
I KNEW MY FATHER was a coward. But I also knew how understandable that was.
While he became head of our family at a young age, he was never truly suited for the role. I was his own son, and even I could see what a clumsy, awkward, and anxious leader he was. Whenever his decisions as the liege lord of our region ended poorly, he was compared unfavorably to his stern and firm-willed father. Even his own retainers whispered behind his back that his brother Paul would have made a better lord. I saw it happen many times in my years living at our home.
My father had struggled and suffered, all to no avail. It was no wonder he’d grown bitter and lost what courage he possessed.
Now he was going to be executed right before my eyes. His own actions were ultimately to blame, but Ariel’s promise to the Sword King Ghislaine likely had something to do with it as well.
It would be a lie to claim that I’d never considered the possibility my father had played a part in Sauros Boreas Greyrat’s death. They had detested each other, after all. Sauros had been very close to my grandfather, the former head of the Notos family. The two of them were almost like brothers, in fact. On the other hand, he took a disliking to my father from the very beginning. At their first meeting, he’d bellowed “You’re a scrawny little runt, aren’t you?” in my father’s face; and that was only the beginning of his insults and criticism. Sauros goaded him at every opportunity even after my father took over the Notos family.
The Displacement Incident had left Sauros terribly vulnerable. I could believe that my father would have seized that opportunity to take his revenge. In fact, it was difficult to imagine him passing up the chance, though the Man-God’s lies had convinced me otherwise for a time.
I studied the face of my father in silence.
I hadn’t seen him in eight years. The man looked much older, and much smaller, than he did in my memories. I found myself wishing I could talk to him, without any of the lies or bluster.
When I was a child, we’d spoken of many things. He had kept the more important matters from me, but when I went to him with questions, he always indulged my curiosity. My father didn’t know everything, of course. He would often give me answers that were simply incorrect. Still, he always had something to say to me. At times he would tell me to think it through myself, but even then, he was giving me the best guidance he could.
In hindsight, I felt that he doted on me more than my older brother. Perhaps he felt a certain connection to me, as a fellow second son. That was my father in a nutshell: an awkward man who made odd choices in the clumsiest of ways.
But for all his shortcomings, he contributed greatly Princess Ariel’s cause for many years. Before our flight from Asura, he’d struggled against countless enemies on her behalf, trying to position her for the throne.
His motives were always self-interested, true. But as the head of our family, he had an obligation to protect it. Who could truly blame him for joining another faction in our absence, when all seemed lost?
He’d sent his men to lead the first attack against us. But again—he’d surely done so to protect House Notos. He must have been desperate to earn the trust of his new allies in Grabel’s faction.
“Your Highness, I have a request.”
“What is it, Luke?”
“Will you find it in your heart to forgive my father?”
Ariel turned to face me. There was a coldness in her eyes that I’d seen a great deal of in recent days… particularly after we learned of my father’s betrayal.
“…I can’t do that.”
“Because of Ghislaine?”
“No. Because I can’t overlook his betrayal.”
Of course she couldn’t. My father had openly turned against her, sending his personal troops in an attempt to take her head. No matter how friendly they’d once been, to forgive this would be harmful to her reputation.
I knew this all too well myself. Pilemon Notos Greyrat was doomed, and nothing could change that now. Perhaps that evil god had played some part in arranging this. Perhaps Rudeus and Princess Ariel were both being deceived. It didn’t change the fact that my father had betrayed us, or that he’d shamelessly attempted to undo that betrayal.
And yet…
I didn’t want to see this happen.
I drew my sword.
“…Luke?”
“Forgive me!”
“Huh?!”
I didn’t know why I was doing this myself. But before I knew it, I’d pulled Princess Ariel into my arms…and pressed the side of my blade to her neck.
“Luke?! What are you doing?!”
Sylphie reacted immediately. She glared at me with murder in her eyes. Rudeus might hardly have recognized her—she never let him see this kind of fury on her face.
In her hand, she held the kind of rod used by novice mages. It was essentially a miniature staff, best suited to practicing the most basic of magic. But in her hands, it could fire off spells as powerful as those of Royal Magician captains.
Right now, it was pointed straight at me.
“Can’t you see how bizarre all this is, Sylphie?”
“Have you lost your mind?! Get that sword away from her!”
It was a reasonable question—had I gone mad? I wasn’t even sure what I was trying to accomplish with this stunt, in all honesty.
The gazes of the high nobles in the hall were fixed on me. Their faces were confused and uncertain.
…Perhaps I had doomed myself as well. But so be it.
“Tell me, Sylphie—do you really trust that man?”
“What man?! Are you talking about Orsted?! What does he have to do with anything?!”
“Just answer the question!” I shouted fiercely.
Her rod still trained on me, Sylphie paused for an instant, then replied in a low tone of voice. “I don’t trust him in the slightest.”
“Then why do you obey Rudeus’ every order without question? Perhaps he did it for his family, but he’s sworn allegiance to that monster!”
“Why? Because I trust Rudy, that’s why!”
How does that make any sense?! “Rudeus is acting on Orsted’s behalf, as his direct subordinate. Haven’t you noticed any difference in his behavior lately? Are you positive Orsted isn’t deceiving him somehow?”
It wasn’t that I harbored any real hope of winning Sylphie over to my side. But since her marriage to Rudeus, I felt as if she’d stopped making many of her own decisions. Instead of voicing her opinion, she left matters to her husband, or did exactly as he asked.
Ironically, I was the one who taught her to behave that way. I’d told her that a wife should listen quietly to her husband if she wanted to remain in his good graces. My own mother had been a vocal woman, and my father had never truly loved her. Their marriage ended in separation.
“Are you even thinking for yourself, Sylphie? Rudeus can make mistakes, just like anyone else!”
“You think I don’t know that?! I think about it constantly!” Sylphie shouted indignantly. “But Rudy’s doing what he thinks is best for us, okay? He swallows his pride and submits to us! He does everything he can, no matter how humiliating it feels! What am I supposed to do, argue with him and make things even harder? At least this way, I can take some of the burden off his shoulders!”
Sylphie’s answer was clear and firm. In her thoughts, Rudeus came first—before even herself. It felt as if she’d changed a great deal in these last few years. But perhaps I simply hadn’t known the girl as well as I thought I did.
“And what if your blind loyalty puts Princess Ariel in danger?!”
As I spoke these words, I pressed my sword to the neck of my sworn master. I was using the side of its blade. This wouldn’t prevent me from being executed as a traitor, naturally, but I couldn’t very well risk cutting Princess Ariel. It was simply wrong to mar a woman’s skin with scars.
“You’re the one with the sword against her neck!”
An excellent point, I must admit…
Just then, the door to the hall swung open and Rudeus stepped into the room.
His eyes found me and went wide with shock.
“Listen, Sylphie,” I said. “By accepting everything Rudeus says, you’re making yourself a pawn of that horrifying creature Orsted.”
“…Fine. So what?”
“Consider what that might mean, in a situation like this one.”
I looked over at Rudeus. He was scanning the room, perhaps trying to make sense of what was going on here. His gaze paused at a certain point, then he looked away with a disappointed expression.
Glancing in that direction, I realized he’d been looking at Perugius. Despite the drama unfolding before him, the man was sitting casually in his chair, looking utterly unconcerned. There was a small, amused smile on his lips.
“If you want to save Princess Ariel, kill Rudeus here and now,” I said.
Sylphie’s eyes went wide.
“What would your answer be, if I made such a demand?”
She didn’t turn around, although she clearly knew that Rudeus was standing behind her now.
“You could be forced to choose between the two. And what would you do then?”
I knew it was an ugly, unfair question. I wasn’t even sure why I was asking it. Was this truly what I’d wanted to say?
“I’d choose Rudy.”
Sylphie didn’t need much time to think about it. Her reply was nearly instantaneous.
“I hate to say that in front of Princess Ariel. But if Rudy wasn’t the most important person in the world to me, I never would have married him in the first place. I never would have had a child with him.”
It made me slightly sad to hear those words. And I imagine the Princess felt the same.
Rudeus brought both hands to his mouth, but failed to completely cover his smug grin. The man could be truly obnoxious at times.
“I’ll stick by Rudy no matter what,” said Sylphie. “I don’t know how it will turn out in the end. For all I know, Orsted might decide he doesn’t need us anymore… but no matter how ugly things get, I’m going to be there helping Rudy. I mean, that’s what I signed up for, right?”
Those words hit me like an arrow to the chest.
She was right. I felt it in the pit of my stomach. I’d found one of the answers I was struggling for.
“…Hah.”
I let out a small sigh. What was I doing here? What was I thinking?
My role was to aid Princess Ariel—even if she stumbled, even when she chose poorly, and even if her cause looked lost. I wanted to be the one man who would always be there for her, regardless of the circumstances. That was what I’d signed up for, as her knight.
What did it matter if Orsted was an evil god? True, I would rather have obeyed the Man-God than that creature. But would I follow the Man-God over Ariel?
The question wasn’t even worth considering. It was my duty to respect her decisions, obey her commands, and risk my life to protect her if she chose poorly. It never had to be more complicated than that.
My own words had come back to hit me in the face.
“Now then, Luke.”
I suppose Princess Ariel had heard my faint sigh. She chose this moment to break her silence.
“Now that Sylphie has chosen Rudeus, will you be cutting off my head?”
“Huh?”
“If so, I’d like a little time to speak with my brother first. Perhaps he’ll allow Sylphie and the others safe passage outside of Asura. Do you mind?”
Her voice seemed…strangely calm.
“You’re not going to ask why I’m doing this?”
“No.”
That made me sad. I could hardly defend myself, now that things had gone this far… but it seemed the princess truly believed I had betrayed her. I had been by her side since we were children, supporting her in every way I could. I’d put her interests and needs before my own. And she still believed I was capable of turning on her, at the very end of our long journey.
Or so I thought, until I heard the words that followed.
“There’s only one thing I do want to say to you, Luke.”
“Hm…?”
“I am your princess.”
I nearly broke down in tears. Those words were reward enough for me. Even after what I’d done, Princess Ariel still saw me as her knight. She’d never believed I could betray her. She was confident in my loyalty—even now, with the blade of my sword pressed against her neck.
I tossed my sword aside. It clattered against the floor, and the tension in the air was finally broken. I releasing Princess Ariel from my arms, stepped back and kneeled before her. When I looked up, I saw that she was staring at me with that same, familiar coldness in her eyes.
“Tell me, Luke. What are you?”
“I am…your knight.”
The princess smiled kindly at those words.
I studied her face for just a moment, then leaned forward and held my hair aside to expose my neck.
“I’m ready, Your Highness. Give me the proper punishment for my treachery.”
I didn’t want to die. There was still a great deal left for me to do.
But so be it. I could accept this.
“…”
Princess Ariel bent down to take my sword, lifted it awkwardly with one hand—and smacked my head with the side of its blade. A dull shock of pain radiated across my skull.
“It seems your legendary lust for women drove you to a fit of madness, Luke. I can’t imagine any other reason you would have grabbed a princess in your arms and molested her in such a manner.”
“…?”
“Ordinarily, such a crime would warrant severe punishment. But I’ll let you off the hook this time, as I happened to be in the mood for a bit of groping.”
I looked up at Princess Ariel. She met my gaze with a playful smile and a wink. How long had it been since I’d seen this expression on her face? These days, her smiles were mostly forced. But when we were children, she’d often grinned at me like this.
“Haha!”
It seemed I’d been forgiven. My words and deeds should, by all rights, have been construed as a betrayal. But she wasn’t even going to punish me for them.
“Now then…”
Pausing to draw a breath, Princess Ariel turned to my pale-faced father. As soon as her gaze settled on him, he prostrated himself on the ground before her.
“What shall we do with you?”
The matter of his punishment remained unsettled. Now that she’d forgiven my betrayal, the mood of the room had shifted. It almost felt as if she had to find some way to pardon him.
But my father’s misdeeds were grave. He’d joined forces with our enemies and tried to have the princess murdered. She couldn’t simply invent some convenient story to explain this away, as she’d done for me.
We needed to find some justification. Some reason for a pardon.
As I was trying to think of something, Rudeus stepped forward to speak.
“When we cornered him, Darius revealed he was the one who’d arranged for Sauros’ death. Lord Pilemon was just a pawn in his game, from the sound of things.”
“…And what became of Darius?” asked the princess.
“He’s de… We killed him.”
“I see. In that case, I think we might as well assign him all the blame.”
As she spoke those words, Princess Ariel turned her gaze to someone behind me. I turned and I found that Ghislaine and Eris had slipped around me at some point. They might have cut me down from behind if I’d kept my hold on Princess Ariel for much longer.
“Ghislaine, can you accept that?” said Princess Ariel.
“Well…”
Ghislaine looked distinctly displeased at the suggestion. Perhaps she was determined to cut my father down regardless. But before she could raise an objection, Eris reached out and yanked her tail. With a jerk of surprise, Ghislaine looked over at her pupil.
Eris folded her arms and stuck her chin into the air. “Ghislaine! We got revenge for Grandfather Sauros already, okay? Don’t be greedy!”
“…If you say so, Lady Eris.”
At those words, Princess Ariel turned back to my father with a satisfied expression on her face. “There you have it, Lord Pilemon. I’ll issue my judgment to you at a later date.”
“Y-Yes, Your Highness!”
My father threw himself to the ground once again, groveling in gratitude. He wouldn’t get off without any punishment, of course. But it seemed his life had been spared.
“I’m… I’m sorry, Luke…”
The words were barely audible, but I was close enough to hear them clearly. And a wave of relief washed over me.
I looked around the room. Rudeus was speaking quietly to Sylphie, who had her arms around him, and stroking her head. She lowered her gaze bashfully, but looked rather pleased. Eris and Ghislaine were discussing something so loudly I could hear the conversation clearly. Eris was proudly explaining that you had to read the room sometimes. From the sound of things, it was a phrase Rudeus had taught her.
Perugius was the same as ever. Still planted in his seat, he was looking over this way with a highly entertained expression. I couldn’t begin to guess what the famous Armored Dragon King found so amusing, in all honesty.
My father was still groveling on the floor. He still looked very small, but a hint of color was slowly returning to his face.
The novice knight Isolde was weeping quietly as she cradled the body of the Water God in her arms. She didn’t seem inclined to head in our direction.
It seemed that Darius was dead. Prince Grabel, who had lost his greatest ally, slumped in his chair, looking exhausted. There was a small crowd of nobles hovering around him, even now… but it was hard to imagine him trying much of anything.
The nobles of Princess Ariel’s faction were looking on with utter bewilderment on their faces. Triss was among them, standing next to her parents.
We had no enemies left to fight.
The battle for Asura was over.
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Diamond. Diamond. Diamond.
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